Unique stories
Carolina
What was Carolina’s start in life like?
It became clear very early on that Carolina is a real fighter.
She was born at Giessen University Hospital in February 2020 weighing just 960g.
While we parents were extremely worried, Carolina amazed the neonatology staff every day.
She cried the loudest for milk and seemed to be in perfect health.
After two exhausting months, we were finally able to go home.
Many check-ups and physiotherapy appointments followed.
When we were able to celebrate her first birthday and felt that we had finally done everything, it was only three months before she was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma.
A new battle began.
How did you manage all that?
As parents, we had no choice in this situation: we simply had to carry on.
We somehow mustered up the strength to do the things that were necessary and at the same time offer Carolina as much normality as possible.
Fortunately, Carolina has no negative memories of our visits to the eye clinic in Essen.
To this day, she still looks forward to her examinations there.
In order to combine these days, which are very emotionally challenging for all of us, with a pleasant experience, we eat sushi together after every examination in Essen.
Carolina is also happy to talk about this ritual in the operating room. We have already been asked whether this is really true.
Presumably due to her many visits to the doctor and examinations after her birth, Carolina has developed a great interest in the field of medicine.
We have the feeling that she sometimes sees herself as a colleague rather than a patient.
We hope that she can really come to terms with what she has experienced and that everything will be fine in the future.
How are you doing today?
Now that Carolina has been tumor-free for two years, we have been able to breathe a little easier.
Of course, it’s not uncommon for anxiety to return, but we can deal with it much better now than when she was diagnosed.
The best moments are when Carolina does things we never dared to dream of after she was born and diagnosed with retinoblastoma: Running, climbing, riding her bike, looking at books, drawing, laughing.
She has been going to kindergarten for a year and has now made friends there and does the same nonsense that the other children do.
Despite her history, she is a very sweet and cheerful child who never misses an opportunity to fool around.
She is very inquisitive and has discovered that there is an explanatory video for every question she asks.
So she watches videos about robots, about making bicycle helmets, about home births or about making ice cream – her favorite food.
But her greatest strengths and at the same time her greatest gifts to us are her will to live and her zest for life.
What was your first encounter with KAKS like?
Ms. Wibbe from the Essen Eye Clinic told us about Elli and that she can be ordered for affected children.
Elli is still one of Caro’s favorite cuddly toys, which she likes to examine intensively with the help of her bulging doctor’s case.
In May, we were able to meet the KAKS family in person and were immediately impressed by the many nice people and the offer for affected parents and families.
It was exactly what we needed!
And for the future, we know that we always have someone to turn to if we have questions or problems that doctors can’t help us with.
Carolina has summed it up well and succinctly: Today is my lucky day!
Our motto in life:
“There’s a superhero in all of us. Sometimes you just need the courage to put on a cape.”
